2026 World Cup: Spain crowned champion, Argentina runner-up and every tournament result

The 2026 World Cup has reached its conclusion after 104 matches, 48 national teams and the largest knockout bracket in tournament history.

Spain were crowned world champions after defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute, delivering La Roja’s second World Cup, sixteen years after the country’s first title in South Africa in 2010.

Argentina finished as runner-up after playing in the seventh World Cup final in its history. England claimed third place by defeating France 6-4 in a historic ten-goal match.

The tournament began with 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four, from Group A to Group L. The top two teams in each group and the eight best third-placed teams advanced to the first Round of 32 in World Cup history.

From there, the knockout stage produced several major surprises. Norway eliminated Brazil, Morocco returned to the quarterfinals, Cape Verde forced Argentina into extra time and Spain defeated the winners of the previous two World Cups in its final two matches.

Final status: Spain are the 2026 World Cup champions. La Roja defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time and secured its second star. Argentina finished second, England third and France fourth. Follow every story and analysis in our 2026 World Cup coverage hub.

How qualification worked

• The 1st and 2nd teams in each of the 12 groups qualified automatically, creating a total of 24 teams.
• The 8 best third-placed teams also advanced.
• That produced a 32-team knockout stage, beginning with the Round of 32.
• From that point onward, every match was single elimination, with extra time and penalties used when necessary.

The group-stage tie-breakers were, in order: points, goal difference, goals scored and head-to-head results between tied teams. The ✓ symbol marks teams that advanced from the group stage. The ✕ symbol marks those that were eliminated.

Final group-stage outcome

Round of 32 results

Match	Result	Advanced	Eliminated
South Africa vs Canada	Canada 1-0 South Africa	Canada	South Africa
Brazil vs Japan	Brazil 2-1 Japan	Brazil	Japan
Germany vs Paraguay	1-1, Paraguay won 4-3 on penalties	Paraguay	Germany
Netherlands vs Morocco	1-1, Morocco won 3-2 on penalties	Morocco	Netherlands
Ivory Coast vs Norway	Norway 2-1 Ivory Coast	Norway	Ivory Coast
France vs Sweden	France 3-0 Sweden	France	Sweden
Mexico vs Ecuador	Mexico 2-0 Ecuador	Mexico	Ecuador
England vs DR Congo	England 2-1 DR Congo	England	DR Congo
Belgium vs Senegal	Belgium 3-2 Senegal after extra time	Belgium	Senegal
United States vs Bosnia and Herzegovina	United States 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina	United States	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Spain vs Austria	Spain 3-0 Austria	Spain	Austria
Portugal vs Croatia	Portugal 2-1 Croatia	Portugal	Croatia
Switzerland vs Algeria	Switzerland 2-0 Algeria	Switzerland	Algeria
Australia vs Egypt	1-1, Egypt won 4-2 on penalties	Egypt	Australia
Argentina vs Cape Verde	Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde after extra time	Argentina	Cape Verde
Colombia vs Ghana	Colombia 1-0 Ghana	Colombia	Ghana

Round of 16 results

Match	Result	Advanced
Canada vs Morocco	Morocco 3-0 Canada	Morocco
Paraguay vs France	France 1-0 Paraguay	France
Brazil vs Norway	Norway 2-1 Brazil	Norway
Mexico vs England	England 3-2 Mexico	England
Portugal vs Spain	Spain 1-0 Portugal	Spain
United States vs Belgium	Belgium 4-1 United States	Belgium
Argentina vs Egypt	Argentina 3-2 Egypt	Argentina
Switzerland vs Colombia	0-0, Switzerland won 4-3 on penalties	Switzerland

Quarterfinal results

Match	Result	Semifinalist
Morocco vs France	France 2-0 Morocco	France
Spain vs Belgium	Spain 2-1 Belgium	Spain
Norway vs England	England 2-1 Norway	England
Argentina vs Switzerland	Argentina 3-1 Switzerland	Argentina

Semifinal results

Match	Result	Finalist
France vs Spain	Spain 2-0 France	Spain
England vs Argentina	Argentina 2-1 England	Argentina

Third-place playoff

Match	Result	Third place
France vs England	England 6-4 France	England

The match produced ten goals and became the highest-scoring third-place playoff in World Cup history.

England led 4-0 at halftime. France mounted a major second-half comeback and moved within one goal at 5-4, but Jude Bellingham scored England’s sixth goal during stoppage time.

Bukayo Saka completed a hat-trick, while Kylian Mbappé scored twice for France.

2026 World Cup final

Final	Result	Goal	Champion
Spain vs Argentina	Spain 1-0 Argentina after extra time	Ferran Torres 106’	Spain

Spain are world champions

Spain defeated Argentina after a tight, tense final defined by La Roja’s territorial control and the defending champion’s resistance.

Argentina protected the 0-0 score throughout regulation but entered extra time with ten players after Enzo Fernández was sent off.

In the 106th minute, Pedro Porro delivered a cross from the right. Nico Williams won the ball in the air and Ferran Torres finished the move that gave Spain the second World Cup in the country’s history.

La Roja once again won a World Cup final 1-0 after extra time. In 2010, Andrés Iniesta scored against the Netherlands. In 2026, Ferran Torres wrote the second chapter.

Spain’s two World Cup titles

• 2010: Spain 1-0 Netherlands after extra time.
• 2026: Spain 1-0 Argentina after extra time.

Final 2026 World Cup standings

Position	Team	Final result
1st	Spain	Champion
2nd	Argentina	Runner-up
3rd	England	Third place
4th	France	Fourth place

Spain’s road to the title

Round	Opponent	Result
Round of 32	Austria	Spain 3-0 Austria
Round of 16	Portugal	Spain 1-0 Portugal
Quarterfinal	Belgium	Spain 2-1 Belgium
Semifinal	France	Spain 2-0 France
Final	Argentina	Spain 1-0 Argentina after extra time

Spain eliminated the winners of the previous two World Cups in its final two matches: France, champion in 2018, and Argentina, champion in 2022.

La Roja finished the tournament undefeated and confirmed that its 2024 European Championship title had been the beginning of a new era.

Argentina’s road to a seventh World Cup final

Round	Opponent	Result
Round of 32	Cape Verde	Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde after extra time
Round of 16	Egypt	Argentina 3-2 Egypt
Quarterfinal	Switzerland	Argentina 3-1 Switzerland
Semifinal	England	Argentina 2-1 England
Final	Spain	Spain 1-0 Argentina after extra time

Argentina reached the final after repeatedly overcoming difficult situations. It needed extra time against Cape Verde, recovered from a 2-0 deficit against Egypt and scored twice during the closing minutes to eliminate England.

The defending champion came within 14 minutes of taking the final to penalties, but physical exhaustion and Spain’s superiority eventually decided the match.

The defining stories of the 2026 World Cup

Spain transformed a promising generation into champions

Spain entered as European champion and left as world champion. Rodri controlled midfield, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams provided attacking danger, and players such as Mikel Merino, Mikel Oyarzabal and Ferran Torres appeared at decisive moments.

Argentina went further than its physical condition suggested

Lionel Scaloni retained much of the squad that had won in Qatar. Several key players arrived with less energy and physical limitations, but the team’s competitive character carried it into another final.

Cape Verde became the tournament’s great revelation

Cape Verde played in its first World Cup, drew with Spain and forced Argentina into extra time. It completed the tournament without losing any match inside 90 minutes.

Norway eliminated Brazil and reached the quarterfinals

Erling Haaland led Norway through a historic campaign. The Scandinavian team defeated Brazil and came close to reaching the semifinals before losing to England.

France finished without energy

France arrived with one of the tournament’s deepest squads, but Spain neutralized it in the semifinal. France then conceded six goals in the third-place playoff and ended Didier Deschamps’ tenure with a defeat few could have imagined.

Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands and Uruguay disappointed

Brazil again finished far from the title. Germany and the Netherlands were eliminated in the Round of 32. Uruguay failed to advance from the group stage.

All four teams ended the World Cup facing major questions about their identity, coaching and sporting future.

Awards and leading figures

• Champion: Spain.
• Runner-up: Argentina.
• Third place: England.
• Fourth place: France.
• Golden Boot: Kylian Mbappé, with 10 goals.
• All-time World Cup leading scorer: Kylian Mbappé, with 22 goals.
• One of the tournament’s revelations: Erling Haaland, with 8 goals and Norway reaching the quarterfinals.
• Historic record: Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six different World Cups.

Teams eliminated by round

Eliminated in the group stage

• South Korea
• Czech Republic
• Qatar
• Scotland
• Haiti
• Türkiye
• Curaçao
• Tunisia
• Iran
• New Zealand
• Uruguay
• Saudi Arabia
• Iraq
• Jordan
• Uzbekistan
• Panama

Eliminated in the Round of 32

• South Africa
• Japan
• Germany
• Netherlands
• Ivory Coast
• Sweden
• Ecuador
• DR Congo
• Senegal
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Austria
• Croatia
• Algeria
• Australia
• Cape Verde
• Ghana

Eliminated in the Round of 16

• Canada
• Paraguay
• Brazil
• Mexico
• Portugal
• United States
• Egypt
• Colombia

Eliminated in the quarterfinals

• Morocco
• Belgium
• Norway
• Switzerland

Eliminated in the semifinals

• France
• England

The largest World Cup ended with an unquestionable champion

The first 48-team World Cup began with questions surrounding its length, its format and the number of matches.

It ended by producing a deep knockout stage, competitive new national teams, major surprises and a final between the champions of Europe and South America.

Spain were the best team in the tournament.

La Roja controlled matches, defended with authority and eliminated several of the strongest national teams in the world.

Argentina defended its crown into extra time and confirmed that its era still holds a privileged place in football history.

England achieved its best World Cup finish since 1966. France finished fourth after arriving with title ambitions. Cape Verde and Norway expanded the competitive map of international football.

The 2026 World Cup is over.

Spain have the trophy.

Argentina retain their greatness.

And football has already begun looking toward its next story.

See also: Schedule and format · All 48 teams · Venues · Tickets.

Standings, results and statistics reflect the final conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.